US Open Judges Announced
The US Open, in partnership with the Great Lakes Brass Band Association has announced the adjudicators for the 2022 US Open Brass Band Championships which will take place on 19th November at the Clarkston Performing Arts Center, Michigan. The adjudicators are Jessica Sneeringer, Tony Granados and William Himes
Jessica Sneeringer is a graduate of The Ohio State University earning Bachelor’s Degrees in both Music Education and Trombone Performance as well as a Master’s Degree in Music Education. Jessica is currently in her 23rd year of teaching, this being her 18th year as the Director of Bands at Columbus Academy in Gahanna, Ohio as well as the Chair of the Performing Arts Department and the Dixon Art Chair Award Recipient. A member of the Central Ohio Brass Band since 1999, she held the solo trombone chair until 2004, when she stepped onto the podium. Over the 16 years that she conducted COBB the group enjoyed much success, including being 1st Section Champions a record five times at the North American Brass Band Association championships and being invited to such prestigious events as the Great American Brass Band Festival, the Butlins Contest in the UK, and the 2019 International Trombone Festival. She added the title of NABBA Adjudicator in the spring of 2022.
Tony Granados serves as the Artistic Director and Conductor for the Triangle Brass Band, a position he has held since 2008. Tony is a freelance tuba player in the central North Carolina region and has appeared with the North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Symphony Brass Quintet, Boylan Brass, Carolina Brass Quintet, Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Opera, and the Roanoke Symphony in Virginia. As a soloist, he has made appearances with college bands, high schools bands, all-county bands, and was a featured artist at the 2002 International Tuba Euphonium Conference, performing the Gregson Tuba Concerto with the Triangle Brass Band. Tony maintains a large and active private studio, teaching students on the middle school and high school levels. In addition, he gives clinics and teaches sectionals in many school band programs, including marching brass fundamentals with several leading band programs. Tony was the Triangle Youth Brass Band Director from 2001 – 2013, and is currently serving as the President of the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA).
William Himes was born and raised in Michigan, where he attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, receiving his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education and Performance/Composition, respectively. He taught instrumental music for five years in the public schools of Flint, Michigan, and was also an adjunct lecturer in low brass at the University of Michigan-Flint. From 1977 to 2015 he was director of The Salvation Army's Music and Gospel Arts Department for USA Central Territory in Chicago, Illinois. In this capacity he also served as conductor of the Chicago Staff Band, a premier brass and percussion ensemble which has performed throughout North America and several international tours. Throughout his career he has appeared as conductor, clinician, and soloist throughout the United States, Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Well known for his compositions and arrangements, his works appear in more than 400 publications. Mr. Himes is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and his music is frequently featured on international broadcasts and recordings. He presently teaches composition at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL.
You won't want to miss this year's contest, so please get your bands signed up as soon as possible. The registration deadline for bands and buskers is September 24th 2022. Further details are available at: https://www.usopenbrass.org/registration.php?fbclid=IwAR1tpLjqDSC1uH3GQngXHTu-t-vAqRtFoR-ibvK0tYWG6N53CGB_NtcgpCI
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